Midnight: Christmas Special
by The Dragon Lover
Summary: "It was tricky to find a way around the whole "I hate everything good" when the holidays drew near. Thankfully, options were still available." -Threeshot written for Christmas time. OC-centric. Each chapter is set about a year apart.
1. Sugar

**Title:** Sugar  
**Word Count:** 867  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Original/Fandom:** Fandom: Rise of the Guardians/Guardians of Childhood ("Midnight" series, side-story)  
**Pairings (if any):** Pitch/OC  
**Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc):** Slight suggestiveness  
**Summary:** It was tricky to find a way around the whole "I hate everything good" when the holidays drew near. Thankfully, options were still available. Fluff.

**Author's Note**: This will probably make most people scratch their heads and ask, "What?" But worry not! It is based off of a fic that has been long in the making, so all will become clear once that is uploaded. Mildly spoiler-ific in that regard, but I figured I needed to upload _some_thing for the holidays, so here we are.

* * *

She was nervous, and for good reason: One did not ever remind the King of Nightmares that Christmas Day was yesterday.

Midnight had spent the past few days at her parents' house with the rest of her family, enjoying the lively atmosphere and singing carols with eggnog and cookies and warm, fuzzy feelings. The year 2014 was ending with a bang. It had been difficult to leave the hearty atmosphere to return to her apartment as it was rather plain in comparison; not a single decoration was tacked to the front door or littering a tree. Mostly, she had been too lazy to bother—she'd have plenty to look at on her visit, anyway—but she had also been hesitant of angering _him._

Pitch Black was not in the least bit jolly during the winter holidays.

Still, she fumbled her keys trying to get in as quickly as possible, eager with the thought of at least spending time with him. If the most she could get out of him was another experience beneath the sheets, then she would be fine. Really.

_You shouldn't lie to yourself,_ she mentally sighed as the door swung open. _You've always held out hope for the romantic gestures. You should know better by now._

As soon as the lock had _clicked,_ she was enveloped in darkness deeper than a lack of lights—and a low growl vibrating against her lips confirmed it was the Boogeyman assaulting her. She gasped when arms snatched her from the hallway, bags crashing to the floor, as he said nearly accusingly, "You _reek_ of cinnamon and hot cocoa."

"Sorry," she half-laughed, lifting a hand to brush her hair out of her face. She didn't bother turning on a light. "I can't resist my mother's baking and sweets. I saved some cookies for you, if you want any." She bent down to pick up said tin and kicked aside the rest of her things. They could always be picked up later.

"Perhaps later," was his less-than-enthusiastic reply, as predicted. She was blindly led into the living room and pushed onto the sofa, followed by him consuming her entire body with his. He had a different kind of hunger, and she was only too happy to oblige him.

Things didn't progress too far from locking lips as they were interrupted by the snort of a Nightmare. Hissing, the king flung his hand at the creature to make it scamper off into nonexistence. Hesitant, Midnight asked, "Duty calls?"

"It never fails." He gave a long-suffering sigh before standing to his full height, his eyes searching hers. "I will return," he vowed, before turning and melting into the shadows as he always did.

Sitting up on the sofa, the willowy woman had her own sigh. _It never does._ But his exit had been odd. _Since when did he reassure me about his return?_ She frowned but decided to put it out of her mind. The mess at the front door wasn't going to clean itself.

In the middle of setting down bags in the bedroom, a strange glint on her bedside table caught her eyes. Sneaking over as if to avoid disturbing any lingering shadows or sand, Midnight lifted a stone and rolled it in her palm. It was a vacuum of space, polished meticulously but still appearing flat and lifeless. Yet, when the moonlight reflected from its smooth surface, she could imagine she saw movement at its very center.

"Where did this come from?" She glanced about, but everything else was as it should be. This was the only anomaly, so she sat on the edge of her bed and puzzled through it. This was where he found her once he had fulfilled his promise, and she guiltily folded her fingers over the stone before repeating the question to him.

The grimace was unexpected on his face, lengthening the lines that revealed his age. Coming to stand before her, he crooked a finger to coax her to her feet. Eyes glued to the hand clutching the stone, he avoided her gaze.

"It was just a way to pass the time—" He sounded defensive. "I manufactured it out of sand and shadow. I had forgotten about it, to be perfectly honest."

Lifting the stone closer to her face, she stared into the depths of the strange object, trying to figure out if it was a translucent cage of darkness or a supernatural form of onyx. "It's incredible," she told him, sincerity shining through. "Can I keep it?"

"If you wish." This was the first time she had seen him shift his weight, making him appear far younger than he really was. "I have no use for it."

She refocused her attention on him and smiled, noticing how this made him freeze despite his refusal to look at her. "Thank you." A small step was all it took for her to press a kiss to his chin. "I guess cookies can't compare to magically made stones, can they?"

Pitch was all too glad to move the conversation away from this apparently awkward subject; gripping her waist with his piano fingers, he rumbled before he kissed her properly, "I'll admit, I was expecting _more._ But we can easily remedy _that._"

* * *

_-Dragon_


	2. Spice

**Title:** Spice  
**Word Count:** 539  
**Rating:** G  
**Original/Fandom:** Fandom: Rise of the Guardians/Guardians of Childhood ("Midnight" series, side-story, sequel to "Sugar")  
**Pairings (if any):** Pitch/OC  
**Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc):** Drama  
**Summary:** One year after a heartwarming scene, Midnight is trying to come to grips with all of the changes to her life. But it's hard. Oh so hard.

**Author's Note**: In case you were wondering, this is a three-part story. The last part will be out tomorrow, so keep an eye out for it! Enjoy!

* * *

The cold crept into her bedroom through the open window, and with it a young boy of wintery fun. White shaggy hair ruffled by the wind, Jack Frost of the Guardians asked the woman bundled up under her blankets, "Feel like crashing a party?"

Confused by his presence, Midnight slipped out of bed and tiptoed across the floor, whispering unnecessarily, "What are you doing here? Don't you have to, I don't know, throw snow around up north for the children?"

"They've got plenty," he countered, grinning at her wariness. "What, not fond of flying?"

"No." She was surprisingly blunt. "Not really."

He sighed as if she was being a Debbie Downer. "You ruin all of my fun," he teased before pulling out a familiar snow globe from his hoodie's pocket. "Remember this?"

"Oh, God." Glancing at her pajamas, she squeaked, "Can't I change first?"

"Nah, I'm sure North could spare a fur coat, or twelve!"

And that was how she found herself in the North Pole less than a week before the end of 2015, surrounded by the most popular tales from childhood: The Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and of course the jolly man himself. Smiling and laughing at their antics, the willowy woman tried to keep up with the fast-moving conversations concerning bizarre stories and the ridiculous arguments of which holiday was the "most important."

When most of their craziness had died down to reasonable levels, Toothiana finally noticed their companion's fatigue and directed her to a cushy chair with a mug of hot chocolate. The willowy woman inhaled deeply, but the sweet aroma sprung a painful memory as it was accompanied by fresh gingersnaps.

_"You _reek _of cinnamon and hot cocoa."_

Swallowing to keep her composure, she asked to be directed to the bathroom and barely closed the door behind her before she collapsed into tears. She muffled her sobs with both of her hands, not wanting anyone to hear. When she was reduced to quiet sniffles, questing fingers found the dark stone hanging about her neck on a cord to grip it like a magical amulet.

_Pitch,_ her heart cried. _Pitch. I miss you._

It hadn't even been two months and she was already breaking down. All of their time together bubbled to the forefront of her mind until all she could see were his eyes shining in the dark. She almost swore she could hear him calling her name, when the apartment was so quiet her heartbeat echoed in her head.

She still couldn't understand what had happened to them. Her heart ached for his presence, but she knew he wouldn't come even if she screamed. Where had she gone wrong? Had it been a terrible idea in the first place, to let herself fall in love with the King of Nightmares?

The gazes on her face when she returned felt all-knowing, but she only smiled and took her seat once more. Hiding behind hot cocoa and cookies, her mask only wobbled when they spoke of how dark it had grown outside from the storm. _It's just the blizzard,_ she told herself. _It's completely natural._

It was wishful thinking to keep searching for glowing eyes peering through the windows of the workshop.

* * *

_-Dragon_


	3. This is Rather Nice

**Title:** This is Rather Nice  
**Word Count:** 1074  
**Rating:** PG  
**Original/Fandom:** Fandom: Rise of the Guardians/Guardians of Childhood ("Midnight" series, side-story, sequel to "Spice")  
**Pairings (if any):** Pitch/OC  
**Warnings (Non-Con/Dub-Con/etc):** Brief mention of torture and grandchildren (which are sometimes synonymous)  
**Summary:** After years of worrying her parents, Midnight's figured she should put them at ease about her love life. But how would she do so when they have to believe she has one in the first place?

**Author's Note**: In order to make everyone happy again, here is a fluffy ending for this short Christmas special. I hope you enjoyed it, even if it came out of the blue, and soon I'll hopefully be uploading the full first story to FFN. (Yes, there are multiple fics in this series. Three, to be exact. Isn't that exciting?)

Happy Christmas, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to you and your families!

* * *

The familiar feeling of unease and anticipation squabbling within her gut made Midnight curse under her breath. _You can do this,_ she told herself. _You've faced down the King of Nightmares, stood up against the Guardians, and managed to survive torture from an ancient monster. You can survive a dinner party._

Of course, that wasn't what she was worried about. The survival of her date was the real issue.

Despite the events of the summer, she sometimes couldn't believe that she had managed to recapture her relationship with Pitch. She had almost completely lost faith in ever seeing him again. But now here she was, standing in her loveliest black dress with her arm linked with his on the doorstep of her parents' house, listening to the chaos from within as she examined his face. He wasn't looking forward to meeting the sources of that noise.

Converting the entire family into "believers" had been a chore that took up the better part of the year. Thankfully, that was nothing a few visits from certain childhood legends couldn't fix. This would be her chance to introduce them all—more specifically, Dawn Braith—to the most important person in her life.

It was absolutely terrifying.

His grip on her arm tightened, bringing her back to the present as she found his gaze on her. "We don't have to do this," he reminded her, and that _might_ have been a bit of hope in his voice. "A quiet evening would be perfectly acceptable."

This gave her the boost she needed; laughing, she told him with a wry smile, "That wouldn't be a proper Braith Christmas." His defeated sigh made her giggle, but she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "We won't stay long," she conceded, knowing it wouldn't be long before he got sick of the cheerful crowd.

"Small favors," he muttered as she rang the doorbell. He cut a sharp glance when she pinched his side in reprimand, opening his mouth to say something just as the door swung open to release the sound onto the front lawn.

"Midnight!" For a heart wrenching moment, she was afraid the elderly man on the doorstep wouldn't see Pitch beside her. She wasn't sure what she would do if that were so. But then his warm gaze shifted to her companion, making her sag in relief. She thought she felt his muscles relax as well. "You must be the man I've heard so _little_ about."

"Ha, ha," she muttered, knowing a coming lecture when she heard one. Eager to get out of the cold, she gently tugged Pitch inside, casting a disapproving look over her shoulder at her father. "We've talked about this, Dad."

"Oh, we did," he admitted with a snort. "It was the longest and most bizarre half hour I've had in my entire life—and you _know_ your mother." As his daughter giggled and her date huffed in faint amusement, he called down the hallway for Mrs. Braith. "Dawn, come meet the mystery man!"

"_He's here?_" Plates clattered in the dining room before she came around the corner, salt-and-pepper hair up in a practical bun. She smiled widely as if she hadn't really expected them to come, and it wasn't long before she had embraced the _both _of them. "So glad you could make it, sweetie—and hello, Mr. Mystery Man." Sizing him up, she hummed aloud, "You look older than I thought you would."

Aghast, Midnight nearly shrieked, "_Mom!_"

"It's all right," was Pitch's surprisingly polite reply. "I'm not the youngest-looking man on this planet."

"_Which is fine,_" she stressed, pinning him with a serious look. "That's not important to me. And you know that."

When they looked at the older woman again, they found the largest grin on her face. Midnight could practically imagine the names her mother was coming up with for future grandchildren. "Looks like you two have a lot to tell me," Dawn teased, eyes bright with hope for her daughter.

"Later, Mom." Tightening her grip on her date's arm, she led him into the living room to get the rest of the introductions out of the way. Her mother's parents were there, as was her uncle on her father's side. Thankfully, they were less embarrassing in their greetings, letting her retreat into the kitchen with Pitch after short, quiet conversations. A little worried by his expression, she whispered, "Are you all right?"

"Fine." Catching her gaze, he shook his head and sighed. "It's difficult, but I'm… trying."

"I know," she said, rising to place a grateful kiss on his lips. "I don't want to ask too much of you—"

He snorted, cutting her off with a bitter, "Like I have you?" Brushing away the hand she raised in comfort, he leaned down to kiss her more fully. "Consider this my repentance," he murmured against her lips, just before a bright flash brought them out of their own little world.

Mrs. Braith stood in the doorway, camera in hand as she cackled, "_This_ is going on the fridge!"

"Mom!" She sounded like a broken record, pulling away from the man to complain, "Tell me you aren't serious. I'm twenty-six-years-old!"

"You can humor your mother tonight," the older woman said, tone brooking no arguments. "I'm just happy that _you're _happy, sweetie. I want to preserve this memory." Then she smiled, and for the life of her, Midnight couldn't bear to say no to that.

Christmas wasn't quite the same this year; after all that had happened in 2016, she wasn't sure life would _ever _be the same. But whenever she doubted herself or thought she couldn't bear the weight of the world, she would hold her dark necklace and look at her copy of that photo in her parents' kitchen. To those who didn't believe in the Boogeyman, all they saw was a woman with her eyes closed, lips prepared for a kiss that never came.

But the truth was in the expression frozen for all of eternity. She had found her love—lost it, and herself, for a time—before it finally came back, stronger and deeper. That was more than she had ever asked for, and she wouldn't change a moment of it because in the end, it had all led up to that night, caught by her mother like a giddy teenager with her boyfriend.

She would never let him go, for the rest of eternity.

* * *

_-Dragon_


End file.
